Answers
by xpancake
Summary: “Who are you?” “You already know who I am, even if you rather not admit it." Judai is in pain and has questions he needs answered. The only one that can answer them is Haou, but it won't make him feel any better.


Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh GX, the characters, referenced plot points, etc.

-(-.-)-

Judai wandered around his conscious mind, which he never imagined to be surrounded by mirrors. Then again, he was not in control of his body at this point in time, so perhaps that is why he was able to notice that detail. As the Dark World soon got conquered by the Supreme King's power, he sunk deeper into an emotional turmoil that he never felt before. He felt weak, he felt useless, he missed his friends, and he wanted the pain and guilt to go away. He was confused and had so many questions he wanted answered. He knew of only one person who could answer these questions for him; the person who was currently in control: Haou.

He walked past a few more mirrors of varying sizes until he found the darker spirit, which, as time passed, had taken a human form. He was covered in black clothing with gold trim, including his gloves and sneakers. On his back was a blood red trench coat, and on his neck was an amulet. What scared Judai the most was the fact that this person had his face. It always glared and never smiled, but it was still his face.

"Who are you?" The darker figure looked up from whatever he was pondering and turned towards Judai. "Why are you using me for your cause?"

The darker figure smirked. "You already know who I am, even if you rather not admit it. I am you, a darker side of you. As for why I am currently in control, you offered me control. You were alone, and in pain, and I offered to take the pain away in exchange for power. The power of the Supreme King." He walked towards Judai. "The stress was too much for you, so I merely took advantage of the fact that you were letting yourself drown in your own negativity to work on my own goals."

"What does that have to do with hunting down duelists and eliminating those in your way?"

Haou rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't expect you to understand basic rules of conquest. I eliminate those in my way to eliminate resistance. As for why I send my soldiers to hunt down duelists, they are threats, they are forms of resistance."

Judai looked around himself and saw the faces of some of his friends reflected within them. "Some of your soldiers have been defeated."

Haou smirked and tapped a nearby mirror. "I also happen to want a challenge, for I am surrounded by those who stand no chance against me. Those who can beat my soldiers show potential. Even then, they will eventually fall." He punched the mirror and watched the shards dissolve.

Judai clenched his fist. "All of those innocent people died!"

"If they couldn't defend their lives, did they really deserve to have them?"

Judai slumped towards the ground and put his hands in his lap. "Why did you have to taint my cards?"

Haou raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Taint them? I merely tapped into some unused power and exploited it a little."

"Why did you have to use them in the first place! You used them to kill people. You even used them to kill one of my friends!"

Haou tapped his chin as if trying to remember. "You mean that one named Jim, right?" Judai solemnly nodded. "I do agree that it was a shame. He was really the only exciting threat and challenge I've had so far. However, that eye of his posed a problem, for he managed to break through the barrier I had created around your fragile soul. It was all for the best really." Judai looked down, he felt tempted to cry. He was hearing these words coming from his own voice yet at the same time it wasn't his own. He didn't want it to be his own. "As for his friend, he now has the eye, so he might be a problem in the future, but I'll be patient and wait until he is able to face me instead of running away screaming in fear."

Judai clenched his fists in his lap. "You won because of Super Fusion, why did that card have to come into existence?"

Haou growled in annoyance. "It a valuable card useful for victories in tight situations or to further the lead against the opponent. It might create a new monster out of thin air, but that's a common trend for you anyways, right?" Judai pouted slightly.

A tear slipped down Judai's cheek. "Why did my friends have to be sacrificed to create it?"

"Answer this question: Why do you send cards to the graveyard for certain cards?"

Judai smiled faintly at the reminder of his favorite pastime. "It activates the card's effect."

"That is exactly the reason why they were sacrificed." The smile faded. "I would ask why you're asking me so many questions, but I already know the answer." Judai looked up. "You know all this, but you don't want to admit you know it. That's why you have to actually hear it said to you. You need to hear it from yourself." Judai shook his head and looked down. "You still refuse to believe that I am you, but it's the truth."

"If you're me, shouldn't you feel regret due to their death?"

Haou scowled. "Should I be concerned? Were that really that vital? For example, Manyoume might have been your friend, but notice how his last words were full of malice directed towards you. He's always been jealous of you, but you ignored it and passed it off as an innocent rivalry."

"So what if he didn't like me at first, we got past that!"

Haou turned towards Judai. "How well did that turn out before his death?" Haou smirked. At first, the questions were a nuisance, but he did enjoy properly exploiting situations.

Judai frowned at the harsh words. At this point, he wasn't sure if everything was a mind game or if this was really the truth, but he let curiosity get the better of him. "What about Kenzan, or Fubuki, or Asuka?"

Haou stepped forward and looked down at Judai. "Kenzan had potential since he possessed the spirit of one of the most powerful creatures to ever roam your world, but hos reliance on you became a weakness and led to his sacrifice. Fubuki was weak enough to get possessed by a mask and a deck of cards, however, I cannot fully blame him because the power behind that possession is immense, but you are not ready to understand that yet. Still, he lacked true potential and relied on you as well, so he met his fate. As for Asuka, she was a disappointment. I had yet to see her live up to the reputation she possessed. Perhaps I would have felt bad if she actually backed her status up, but she didn't, so I have no pity. They all had it coming to them."

Judai got up with his fists clenched and tears streaming out of his eyes. He charged towards Haou, but Haou easily sidestepped the broken boy and watched him crash to the ground. Judai looked up and seemed shocked by the fact he was still surrounded by mirrors. Haou smirked. "Why should I feel regret when you seem to take care of that burden for me. Those mirrors represent your guilt, your pain, which is why you can never truly escape them."

Judai rested his hands on the ground, wishing he could cry but knowing his tear ducts were dry. "Why did they have to die?"

Haou turned towards the vast space around him. "They died because they could not defend themselves against the power, my power, growing inside of you. You tapped into my power during that duel that created Super Fusion. You asked for this to happen. It is your fault they died." Judai made no effort to respond. Haou knew he wouldn't. In his emotional state he didn't stand a chance. "Take consolation in the fact that I only got 4 out of 5 of the sacrifices I thought I needed."

Judai looked up with a flicker of hope in his puffy eyes. "Who was the fifth?"

"Sho Marafuji." Judai smiled a little, but his eyes were vacant of any happy emotion. "He surprisingly has potential. He managed to be out of range during the creation of the card, so he survived, but he doesn't believe in his 'Aniki' anymore." The smile slipped from Judai's face as he choked on the tears he couldn't seem to show. "I don't think anyone will believe in you until you manage to emotionally grow a bit. If you can't even face me, your own self, how are you supposed to face others?" At this point, Judai was no longer conscious of Haou's presence as he tried to cry the pain away, staring at the blank mirrors that seemed to endlessly surround him as he tried to blink the tears out.

Haou shook his head. "All the sacrifices had traits marked on them during the preparation. Sho's marked trait was doubt. Doubt is all he feels concerning Judai now. That will never go away until Judai stops doubting himself. Only then can he truly regain control of himself." Haou walked away from the mentally weakened boy and towards the vast expanse of darkness around him.

-(-.-)-

Pancake: Well, this is more depressing than what I usually write. I'm not sure how in character Judai was considering his state, but hopefully I got the gist in terms of Haou's personality. Anyways, review with criticism and commentary and such.


End file.
